What to do when linking to documents?

Hi Gustavo, the solution you propose here seems just right: go for
both options (Save | Open) and it's always good to show the file size
(do you want to start downloading a 10mb document when you;re about to
undock your laptop to go?).

Gmail shows the following: Filename.xx, 51K, View as HTML, Open as a
Google document, Download

If the tab order of your links is right then Save As and Open is
sufficient to be accessible.

I can relate to your "PDF pains" so couldnt help replying :-) -->
http://www.robbiego.nl/index.php?/site/article/pdf_alert/

On 8/13/07, Gustavo Gawry <gustavogawry at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello IxDers,
>
> I would like to know from you what you use to do in these situations
>
> The option I thought were opening in a new window or to force the download
> of the file.
> Opening in new windows are almost a standard but what about big files?
> Many times happened to me to click on a pdf file and my browser stop
> responding because of that.
> Someone said that maybe I should offer both options...
>
> something like "name of the document [PDF - 345kb] save | open "
>
> But that still have problems with accessibility ( link's should have meaning
> even without being in a context)
>
> I have been trying to solve this problem but I still don't have any good
> solution.
>
> What about you? what would you do?
>
> --
> Gustavo Gawry
> User Experience Analyst
>
> mob: +55 21 9498 7923
>
> www.gawry.com (portuguese)
> ________________________________________________________________
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ....... discuss at ixda.org
> List Guidelines ............ http://beta.ixda.org/guidelines
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>

--
Best regards

Rob Goris
Lyckovo namesti 482/3
Karlin, 18600
Praha
Czech Republic
Mobile +420-731157557 / Fix +420-222313768

Add descriptive "title" attribute to the links (I assume the screen reader
can read this attribute).

Oleh

On 8/13/07, Gustavo Gawry <gustavogawry at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> What i meant with the accessibility issue was I blind user with a screen
> reader starts navigation through links using TAB he will not see the first
> sentence with the name of the file. If this is a list of documents the
> screen reader will read something like "Open, Save,Open, Save,Open,
> Save,Open, Save," which means nothing...
>
> this solution doesn't work in this context.
>
> This is the same reason of why I prefer linking the title of news instead
> of
> having a "read more" link.
>
>
>
>
> On 8/13/07, Rob Goris <robgoris at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Gustavo, the solution you propose here seems just right: go for
> > both options (Save | Open) and it's always good to show the file size
> > (do you want to start downloading a 10mb document when you;re about to
> > undock your laptop to go?).
> >
> > Gmail shows the following: Filename.xx, 51K, View as HTML, Open as a
> > Google document, Download
> >
> > If the tab order of your links is right then Save As and Open is
> > sufficient to be accessible.
> >
> > I can relate to your "PDF pains" so couldnt help replying :-) -->
> > http://www.robbiego.nl/index.php?/site/article/pdf_alert/
> >
> > On 8/13/07, Gustavo Gawry <gustavogawry at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Hello IxDers,
> > >
> > > I would like to know from you what you use to do in these situations
> > >
> > > The option I thought were opening in a new window or to force the
> > download
> > > of the file.
> > > Opening in new windows are almost a standard but what about big files?
> > > Many times happened to me to click on a pdf file and my browser stop
> > > responding because of that.
> > > Someone said that maybe I should offer both options...
> > >
> > > something like "name of the document [PDF - 345kb] save | open "
> > >
> > > But that still have problems with accessibility ( link's should have
> > meaning
> > > even without being in a context)
> > >
> > > I have been trying to solve this problem but I still don't have any
> good
> > > solution.
> > >
> > > What about you? what would you do?
> > >
> > > --
> > > Gustavo Gawry
> > > User Experience Analyst
> > >
> > > mob: +55 21 9498 7923
> > >
> > > www.gawry.com (portuguese)
> > > ________________________________________________________________
> > > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > > To post to this list ....... discuss at ixda.org
> > > List Guidelines ............ http://beta.ixda.org/guidelines
> > > List Help .................. http://beta.ixda.org/help
> > > Unsubscribe ................ http://beta.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> > > Questions .................. list at ixda.org
> > > Home ....................... http://beta.ixda.org
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Best regards
> >
> > Rob Goris
> > Lyckovo namesti 482/3
> > Karlin, 18600
> > Praha
> > Czech Republic
> > Mobile +420-731157557 / Fix +420-222313768
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Gustavo Gawry
> User Experience Analyst
>
> mob: +55 21 9498 7923
>
> www.gawry.com (portuguese)
> ________________________________________________________________
> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> To post to this list ....... discuss at ixda.org
> List Guidelines ............ http://beta.ixda.org/guidelines
> List Help .................. http://beta.ixda.org/help
> Unsubscribe ................ http://beta.ixda.org/unsubscribe
> Questions .................. list at ixda.org
> Home ....................... http://beta.ixda.org
>

--
Oleh Kovalchuke
Interaction Design is the Design of Time
http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm

Hola Gustavo,

This is not an answer to your question but a generalized babbling about
documents.

IMO documents make sense in a paper world. A PDF is a digital form of
to-be-printed document and as such it should be sent directly to the
printer. Ideally, I mean.

On the other hand, having the user deal with file formats, megabytes and the
like is not user-oriented.

For example, when evaluating the possibility of reading a real paper
document (like a book) one looks at the number in the last page. But the
same document in the web will be tagged with a MB number, not a # of pages
one.
Megabytes are computer oriented, not user-oriented. A PDF might be heavy in
MBs due to detailed images while having small textual content, or be light
in MBs despite having many pages because text content can be very
space-efficient.

Labeling the files with MBs is a rule from the the 14K modems times.
Labeling the files with extensions and making the user know what is each one
for is a remain of the diskette age.
The whole computer document model is waiting to be replaced.

In short, the success of the web as a mesh of connected pages is a hint of
which is the better way. PDFs have all the advanteges pointed to by Rob but
anyway belong to the past.

In short, publishing behemots is out. The way is small connected pages,
thousands of them if there is fit.

Whether the user can see or not, the HTML paradigm rules. Which is not to
say that one shouldn't be able to spit a PDF for printing. But not for
online reading.

PDFs are getting better the more they mimic the web, with navigation links
to the left and a search feature. But they are not, for example usuall ine
has to download it all just to see the title ... (yes, I know, thus
"usually")

DOC files are worse in that they are opened in a different program and are
so difficult to link to or from.

Well it's enough: nobody reads this far ... it happens that it drives me
crazy to see still the same file extensions, or to see file extensions ...
sorry.

Regards
--
Juan Lanus

On 8/13/07, Gustavo Gawry <gustavogawry at gmail.com> wrote:
> What i meant with the accessibility issue was I blind user with a screen
> reader starts navigation through links using TAB he will not see the first
> sentence with the name of the file. If this is a list of documents the
> screen reader will read something like "Open, Save,Open, Save,Open,
> Save,Open, Save," which means nothing...

Can you reword the links?
Open document_name (PDF - 345KB) | Save document_name

Or put the filename in the link (as well as before it, as in your
original question) but hide it offscreen for sighted users? I.e.
http://www.webaim.org/techniques/css/invisiblecontent/ .

Jennifer Berk
Information Architect
Purple Monkey Studios, Inc.